Manipulation of an Object as an Image of a Mapping of Graph Data

1. A device comprising: means for manipulating a given object, the given object comprising a mapping of at least a portion of graph data comprising one or more nodes and one or more edges connecting the one or more nodes as table data; means for accessing a graph repository storing the graph data; means for specifying, from among nodes in the graph data that are related to the given object, at least one shared node that is also related to one or more other objects; and means for reflecting the manipulation of the given object in the graph data while preserving relationships of the specified shared node with the one or more other objects; wherein the mapping of the given object is defined by at least one graph matching pattern, each graph matching pattern comprising a plurality of different node variables including a representative node variable and a unique node variable, the representative node variable being subject to a first constraint condition and the unique node variable being subject to a second constraint condition; wherein the first constraint condition specifies that there is at most one node in the graph data that matches a representative node variable for a given one of the graph matching patterns, the at most one node matching the representative node variable for the given graph matching pattern not matching one or more other node variables in another graph matching pattern unless the other graph matching pattern has an inheritance relationship with the given graph matching pattern; wherein the second constraint condition specifies that a node matching a unique node variable in the graph data for the given graph matching pattern uniquely corresponds to the representative node variable in the given graph matching pattern; and wherein object data corresponding to the given object comprises a first portion matching the representative node variable and the unique node variable that is a homomorphism of the graph data and a second portion including the specified shared node that is not a homomorphism of the graph data.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising means for providing the at least one graph matching pattern corresponding to the given object.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the given object comprises one or more tables and the means for reflecting the manipulation includes means for reflecting the manipulation in the graph data by using a given table comprising an entry of correspondence between a node variable included in the graph matching pattern and a node in the graph data that matches the node variable.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein: the manipulation is updating of the given object; and the device further comprises means for: specifying a table corresponding to the given object; and reflecting in the graph data the object updating performed on the given object in the specified table.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein: the manipulation is deletion of the given object and the device further comprises means for: specifying a table corresponding to the given object; and on the basis of information other than information on the shared node included in the specified table, reflecting the manipulation in the graph data while preventing the specified shared node from being deleted.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising means for: specifying the at least one graph matching pattern corresponding to the given object; and generating a query for specifying the at least one shared node based at least in part on the specified graph matching pattern.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein: the manipulation is generation of the given object; and the means for reflecting the manipulation comprises means for reflecting the manipulation in the graph data by forming a link from the given object to the specified shared node in the graph data without generating a new node.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein: the manipulation is generation of the given object; and the device further comprises means for creating a new table corresponding to the given object.

9. The device of claim 8 , further comprising means for adding to the new table an entry corresponding to the specified shared node.

10. The device of claim 8 , further comprising means for adding to the new table an entry corresponding to a representative node variable included in the at least one graph matching pattern.

11. The device of claim 8 , further comprising means for adding an entry corresponding to a node other than a representative node and a shared node included in the at least one graph matching pattern, wherein the manipulation is reflected in the graph data on the condition that all entries included in the table are filled.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein: the manipulation is deletion of the given object; and the means for reflecting the manipulation comprises means for reflecting the manipulation in the graph data while preventing the specified shared node from being deleted.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the manipulation comprises creating a manipulation log comprising one or more actions, the one or more actions comprise one or more of create, update and delete operations for attributes of one or more nodes and edges in the graph data.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein: object data corresponding to the given object comprises a set of one or more tables; manipulating the object data comprises marking one or more entries in at least one of the one or more tables based on the one or more actions in the manipulation log; and reflecting the manipulation of the given object in the graph data comprises modifying the graph data in accordance with the marked entries in the at least one table.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different node variables further include a direct-designated node variable matching nodes in the graph data that is directly designate by its identifier, a literal node variable matching nodes in the graph data that are each connected to a single node via an edge, and a general node variable matching nodes without constraints; and wherein the specified shared node comprises a node returned by the at least one graph matching pattern that matches at least one of the direct-designated node variable, the literal node variable and the general node variable.

16. An apparatus comprising: a memory; and a processor device operatively coupled to the memory and configured to: manipulate a given object, the given object comprising a mapping of at least a portion of graph data comprising one or more nodes and one or more edges connecting the one or more nodes as table data; access a graph repository storing the graph data; specify, from among nodes in the graph data that are related to the given object, at least one shared node that is also related to one or more other objects; and reflect the manipulation of the given object in the graph data while preserving relationships of the specified shared node with the one or more other objects; wherein the mapping of the given object is defined by at least one graph matching pattern, each graph matching pattern comprising a plurality of different node variables including a representative node variable and a unique node variable, the representative node variable being subject to a first constraint condition and the unique node variable being subject to a second constraint condition; wherein the first constraint condition specifies that there is at most one node in the graph data that matches a representative node variable for a given one of the graph matching patterns, the at most one node matching the representative node variable for the given graph matching pattern not matching one or more other node variables in another graph matching pattern unless the other graph matching pattern has an inheritance relationship with the given graph matching pattern; wherein the second constraint condition specifies that a node matching a unique node variable in the graph data for matching pattern uniquely corresponds to the representative node variable in the given graph matching pattern; and wherein object data corresponding to the given object comprises a first portion matching the representative node variable and the unique node variable that is a homomorphism of the graph data and a second portion including the specified shared node that is not a homomorphism of the graph data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of different node variables further include a direct-designated node variable matching nodes in the graph data that is directly designate by its identifier, a literal node variable matching nodes in the graph data that are each connected to a single node via an edge, and a general node variable matching nodes without constraints; and wherein the specified shared node comprises a node returned by the at least one graph matching pattern that matches at least one of the direct-designated node variable, the literal node variable and the general node variable.

18. A method comprising the steps of: manipulating a given object, the given object comprising a mapping of at least a portion of graph data comprising one or more nodes and one or more edges connecting the one or more nodes as table data; specifying, from among nodes in the graph data that are related to the given object, at least one shared node that is also related to one or more other objects; and reflecting the manipulation of the given object in the graph data while preserving relationships of the specified shared node with the one or more other objects; wherein the mapping of the given object is defined by at least one graph matching pattern, each graph matching pattern comprising a plurality of different node variables including a representative node variable and a unique node variable, the representative node variable being subject to a first constraint condition and the unique node variable being subject to a second constraint condition; wherein the first constraint condition specifies that there is at most one node in the graph data that matches a representative node variable for a given one of the graph matching patterns, the at most one node matching the representative node variable for the given graph matching pattern not matching one or more other node variables in another graph matching pattern unless the other graph matching pattern has an inheritance relationship with the given graph matching pattern; wherein the second constraint condition specifies that a node matching a unique node variable in the graph data for the given graph matching pattern uniquely corresponds to the representative node variable in the given graph matching pattern; and wherein object data corresponding to the given object comprises a first portion matching the representative node variable and the unique node variable that is a homomorphism of the graph data and a second portion including the specified shared node that is not a homomorphism of the graph data.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of different node variables further include a direct-designated node variable matching nodes in the graph data that is directly designate by its identifier, a literal node variable matching nodes in the graph data that are each connected to a single node via an edge, and a general node variable matching nodes without constraints; and wherein the specified shared node comprises a node returned by the at least one graph matching pattern that matches at least one of the direct-designated node variable, the literal node variable and the general node variable.

20. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing computer readable program code which, when executed causes a computer to perform the steps of: manipulating a given object, the object comprising a mapping of at least a portion of graph data comprising one or more nodes and one or more edges connecting the one or more nodes as table data; specifying, from among nodes in the graph data that are related to the given object, at least one shared node that is also related to one or more other objects; and reflecting the manipulation of the given object in the graph data while preserving relationships of the specified shared node with the one or more other objects; wherein the mapping of the given object is defined by at least one graph matching pattern, each graph matching pattern comprising a plurality of different node variables including a representative node variable and a unique node variable, the representative node variable being subject to a first constraint condition and the unique node variable being subject to a second constraint condition; wherein the first constraint condition specifies that there is at most one node in the graph data that matches a representative node variable for a given one of the graph matching patterns, the at most one node matching the representative node variable for the given graph matching pattern not matching one or more other node variables in another graph matching pattern unless the other graph matching pattern has an inheritance relationship with the given graph matching pattern; wherein the second constraint condition specifies that a node matching a unique node variable in the graph data for the given graph matching pattern uniquely corresponds to the representative node variable in the given graph matching pattern; and wherein the object data corresponding to the given object comprises a first portion matching the representative node variable and the unique node variable that is a homomorphism of the graph data and a second portion including the specified shared node that is not a homomorphism of the graph data.